We recently purchased tart cherries from you and they arrived promptly,
just wanted to thank you for the prompt service. My husband made a
cherry pie ASAP and the cherries are just right. I grew up in
Pennyslvania and from little up picking tart cherries was one of my
favorite chores! While living in Florida for awhile, a health food store
mentioned the benefits of cherry juice so we needed no further
persuasion to drink that! I knew Michigan was the state for cherries so
found your site. Again, thank you for the cherries and juice and may you
have a bountiful year, very satisifed customers, Cherry and Parker Smith*

From: James Johnson

Well your cherries just arrived!  They are excellent.
When I was growing up my grandmother had a cherry tree in her back yard
in Edison Park, IL  (Chicago).  I remember eating them right off the
tree, but my favorite way to eat them was when they were partially
frozen, just like yours arrived.  My grandma's cherries were tart
like yours.  I've never seen them in the grocery store.  My Grandma
was a hero in my life, a strong Norwegian, born in 1899 and passed in
2000. Your cherries bring back fond memories for me, you have a new
customer for life!

Thank You so much for your feedback! Everyone here at king Orchards loves
it when we make our customers happy!

This is the time of year, when it's nice and cold here in Northern Michigan,
to get frozen cherries.

-Alisha

Getting Started:
Cherry juice concentrate should be refrigerated upon arrival. You can store it for 6 months in the refrigerator or 12 months in the freezer. King Orchards cherry juice concentrate is concentrated to 68 brix; It won’t freeze solid or expand in the freezer.

Mixing cherry juice:
For a single glass of cherry juice, we recommend a mix of 7 parts water to 1 part concentrate. That’s 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) of concentrate for an 8 ounce glass of juice.

Another easy recipe is to mix 1/2 cup of cherry juice concentrate with 3 1/2 cups of water. This makes 1 quart of juice. We suggest making no more than a quart in advance, to minimize the possibility of spoilage.

Get Creative!
King Orchards tart cherry juice concentrate is 100% Montmorency cherries. That means it’s pure fruit, so feel free to experiment! Try mixing with club soda, orange or apple juice. A bit of tart cherry juice adds a nice flavor twist to summer lemonade, and is also a great cocktail mixer. We have many customers who add cherry juice concentrate to their yogurt and oatmeal, too.  It’s a sweet and sour delight over ice cream. Tart cherry juice concentrate gives everything a boost of natural cherry pie flavor.

Do you have a great cherry juice recipe?
If you have your own tart cherry juice recipes or serving suggestions, we’d love to hear and share them. Jot us a note in the comment section, or give us a call toll-free at 877-937-5464.

Cheers! and as always, thank you for supporting Michigan cherry growers!

Ingredients:
Tuna:
1/4 cup tart cherry juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons chili paste (sirracha)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
4 tuna fillets (ahi, albacore or similar)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Cabbage:
1 cup dried tart cherries
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 cups shredded red cabbage
2 cups whole grain rice
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, chili sauce, garlic, soy sauce, mustard, tart cherry juice and green onions.

Heat a large skillet to high heat. Sprinkle the tuna with salt and pepper, spray with cooking spray, then sear for 90 seconds per side for rare (or until desired doneness). Remove from heat, cool slightly, and slice.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey and rice wine vinegar. Toss with the dried tart cherries and cabbage.

Prepare rice according to package directions.

To assemble, place equal amounts of rice onto the center of four plates. Push down the center of each mound to create a well and fill each well with equal amounts of dressed cabbage. Add slices of tuna, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve.

Nutrition Info:
Courtesy of Powered by Red Contest Winner (Novice) -Jaime Brown-Miller, Napa, CA and the Cherry Marketing Institute

1- 12-inch Pre-baked pizza crust
1/2 cup Dried tart cherries
Butter
1 1/2 cups Onion, sliced thin
2 1/2 cups Baby portobello mushrooms, sliced thin
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 1/2 cups Beef (any tender cut), cooked medium-rare and sliced thin
1 1/2 cups Blue cheese, crumbled

Sauté onions in butter until caramelized; let cool.

Sauté portobello mushrooms in butter until tender; let cool.

Brush olive oil evenly over pre-baked pizza crust. Spread onions and mushrooms over pizza crust. Arrange slices of beef and cherries over onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle blue cheese over all.

Bake at 450°F in a standard oven 7 to 9 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Serve as an appetizer or main course.

Tart cherry juice was recently featured on the popular Dr. Oz Show. You can see a video of the show here:

Amazing Antioxidants: Tart Cherry Juice

In the feature, Dr. Oz talked about some of the exciting research being done on Montmorency tart cherries, particularly in the areas of heart health, muscle recovery and natural melatonin. It was really a great segment, with good information as to why tart cherry juice has been making so much news lately.

If you’ve decided to go ahead and try tart cherry juice, you’ll want to be  sure you’re getting 100% tart cherry juice and that it’s made from Montmorency tart cherries. Montmorency tart cherries (also called “sour cherries” or “pie cherries”) are the cherries on which the health research is being conducted.

Also, consider tart cherry juice concentrate. King Orchards tart cherry juice concentrate is very affordable. One 32 oz bottle has 32 servings, or a one month’s supply, so it works out to well under $1 per day.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our tart cherries or tart cherry juice concentrate. We are real family growers, and we know our cherries!

Cheers to Cherries!

Ingredients:

4 large or 8 small ice cubes
1 1/2 cups frozen tart cherries
1 large banana, cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 cup vanilla soy or lowfat milk
2/3 cup orange juice
2 scoops unflavored whey protein drink mix powder (about 42 grams protein total)
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:
Place ice cubes, frozen cherries, banana, milk, orange juice, protein powder and sugar in blender container. Cover and blend on high speed about 30 seconds or until smooth. To serve, pour into glasses. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 (1 3/4-cups) servings.

Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Facts per 1 3/4 cup serving: 129 calories, 8 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 12 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 2 g fiber, 5 mg sodium; Daily Values: 20% vitamin A, 80% vitamin C, 35% calcium, 6% iron.

Please bear with me and today’s overly-alliterated blog post. When Lexi (Bakin’ Girl) was a baby, one of the first books we read to her was The Berenstain Bears “B” Book. We read that book a lot. So much so that now, whenever I encounter more than one “B” word strung together, I start reciting (usually just in my head), Big Brown Bear. Big Brown Bear. Blue Bull. Big Brown Bear. Blue Bull. Beautiful Baboon… right on through to “and that’s what broke baby bird’s balloon.”

This morning’s Baker’s Birthday Blueberry Pancakes (by Barb) Breakfast Celebration, the realization that I’m the mother of a 22 year old, and the fact that Derek actually did find a baby bird at the market this morning, may have combined to send me just a bit over the edge brink of blogging sanity. Not that I had that far to go.

Mixed in with all this silliness are some great pics of the Kewadin market and bakery, including fresh baked pies, lots of fruits and vegetables now in season, and the fun and friendly crew I’m fortunate to work with here at King Orchards.

Cheers!
Patty

Friday’s scenes from King Orchards US-31 and M-88 farm markets: